Power-operated body top



Feb 7 195-? n. E. BRAMBLE POWER-OPERATED BODY TOP 3 sheets-sheet 1 FiledMay 7, 1947 m Y B W. M N A R R m B m m L H R 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 D. E.BRAMBLE POWER-OPERATED BODY TOP v MENTOR DONALD EARL BRAMBLE HISATTORNEY Feb Filed May 7, 1947 Feb. F 195@ D. E. BRAMBLE POWER-OPERATEDBODY TOP 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 7, 1947 INVENTOR DONALD EARL.BRAMBLE ms ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 7, 195% UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICEPDWER-QPERATED BODY TOP Donald E. Bramble, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 7, 1947, Serial No. 746,501

Claims. .1 v

The present invention relates to trailer or truck bodies, and relates inparticular to a struc ture which may be employed as an open top orclosed top body as desired.

In my Patent No. 2,406,737, issued September 3, 1946, I have illustratedand described a trailer body of this type in which a tarpaulin may bemanipulated by cables to cover or uncover the top of a trailer body asdescribed. The present invention is an improvement thereon and enablesthe application of fluid power for manipulating the tarpaulin asdesired. Such fluid power means may be conveniently supplied from thepneumatic brake system of a truck, or in any suitable manner.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide avehicle body or the like having fluid power means for extending orretracting a covering over the top of the body.

Another object is the provision of a convertible vehicle body which maybe quickly covered or uncovered as desired in a minimum amount of time.i

. A further object is the provision of a simplified convertibl vehiclebody, which may be smoothly and expeditiously operated by fluid powermeans.

Further objects and advantages will appear and be brought out more fullyin the following specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view with parts broken away of a vehicle bodyembodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Figure l, t

Figure 3 is a front elevation of Figure 1 as viewed from the right, withparts broken away,

Figure 4 is a view partly in section of the lower fluid power operatingmechanism,

Figure 5 is a similar view of the upper fluid power operating mechanism,

Figure 6 is an enlarged broken sectional View of the lower fluid poweroperating mechanism, showing the same in extended position,

Figure 7 is a View similar to Figure 6 showing the operating mechanismcontracted or collapsed, and

Figure 8 is an end View of a detail.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown an open top trailer body ihaving side walls 2 and 3 which may be hollow, and a closed front endportion 5, having roof portion 5. Angle bars I and s are suitablysecured to the interior side of the tops of the side walls, thehorizontal flanges II and I2 thereof terminating short of the exteriorof the walls. A plurality of cross bows comprising an end member l5 andintermediate members l6 carry brackets t8, ill at their ends, saidbrackets comprising channel portions in which are journalled rollers 2!bearing on the horizontal flanges. I l and l'2'of the'side walls, so asto support the cross bows thereon. The brackets l8, 19 have inturnedends ,22 to prevent the cross bows from lifting oil the flanges ll, l2.

The rear of .the roof 6 has an angle bar 25to which is suitably securedone edge of a tarpaulin 21 which extends over the open top of thebodyand is suitably secured to the cross bows. The tarpaulin may haveoverhanging side portions 28. The structure so far described is shown ingreater detail in my Patent No. 2,406,737, the disclosure of which ismade a part hereof.

Suitably secured to the roof of the endportion 5 is a tube 35 (Figs. 1and 5) which receives telesscopically therein a tube 36 and which inturn telescopically receives the tube 31. As shown in Figure 5, tube 35carries in its end a hollow threaded sleeve 38 upon which is suitablysecured the reversely cupped leather washers 39, 4|, which provide asealed sliding fit, so that tube 36 acts as a piston in tube 35. The endof tube .3'| carries a bolt 42 and similar sealing washers 39, ti, andtube 37 in turn acts as a-piston in tube 36. In the preferredembodiment, tubes 36 and H3'! pass through the cross bows I6 and mayserve as ridge poles, the end bow l5 being suitably secured to tube 5!by braces 43 or the like.

Below the floor 45 of the trailer body is suitably mounted a channelmember 48, which may be square in cross section, and a tube 47 issuitably mounted within this channel. A tube 48 is telescopicallyreceived within tube 41 and acts as a piston therein, and a tube 49within tube'48 acts as a piston in the latter. Tube 48 has internalcommunicating and sealing means similar to the threaded sleeve 33 andsealing washers '39; M, and tube 49 carries a bolt similar to bolt 42and its sealing washers. Tube 49 carries at itsend a bracket 5| uponwhich is mounted a rectangue' lar frame 52 carrying rollers 53 Whichengage the. sides of channel 46 to guide the tubes 48 and 48: forlongitudinal movement therein. Channel 46 carries sheaves 55, 56suitably journalled there;-- on, and a cable 5.! secured to the end oftube 49 passes under these sheaves and upward within the front wall58"0f the trailer body to the top, then over sheaves 60, 6'! at the top,around sheaves 62, 63 and 54, 65, and is suitably fastened to the rearbow 15.

A compressed air tank 65 (Fig. 4) beneath the trailer floor may serve asa source of supply of fluid under pressure. This tank may be a part ofthe pneumatic brake system of the trailer or may be a specially providedtank. A pressure. supply conduit 61 having a control valve 68 and ableeder valve 69 therein is connected to the end of lower tube 41,. anda branch supply conduit ll having a control valve 12 and a bleeder valve13 therein is connected to the end of upper tube 35.

The operation of the invention now will" be described as actuated bycompressed air from the tank 66. Assuming the top tubes 35, 36 and 31 tobe in extended position as shown in Figure 1, with the tarpaulinextended over the top of the trailer body, the bottom tubes 41, 48 and49 will be in collapsed position as shown in Figure '7. When it isdesired to retract the tarpaulin, valve 12 is closed and valve 13 isturned to open position to bleed the air from tubes 35 and 36 throughconduit 1| and through this valve to the atmosphere. Bleeder valve 69now is closed and valve 68 is opened to supply air to the interior oftubes 4! and 48 which causes these tubes to extend and draw with themcable 51, which in turn successively draws bows l5 and I6 to'the forwardpart of the body to uncover the body. This action causes collapse ortelescoping of tube 3'! within tube 36 and tube 36 within tube 35, theair escaping therefrom by bleed valve 73, and the tarpaulin meanwhilebeing drawn forward in folds. When it is desired to cover the body,valve 68 is closed, bleeder valve 69 is opened to atmosphere and bleedervalve '73 is closed, then valve 12 is opened. This supplies air to thetop tubes 35 and 36 causing them to extend and carry along bows l5 andI6 and the tarpaulin across the top of the body to cover the same.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariation and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a vehicle body having a so-called open top, sidesextending to substantially the top of the body, a permanent front endstructure, a tarpaulin having its front edge anchored to said structure,cross bOWs having members movable along the top of such sides and meansassociated therewith to prevent lateral and upward displacement of thecross bows, connections between the cross bows and the tarpaulin, acollapsible telescopic ridge-pole, hydraulically expansiblelongitudinally of such body, having sections attached to and movablewith certain of the bow members to extended positions, one end of saidridge-pole being fixed to said structure, an auxiliary hydraulic meansoperatively connected to the bow most remote from the permanent frontend structure for collapsing the ridge-pole as desired in moving saidbows and tarpaulin to retracted position, and a single supply source offluid under pressure communicateble hydraulically with either said ridgepole or said auxiliary means as desired.

2. In combination with a vehicle body having a so-called open top and atarpaulin means one end of which is anchored to one end of such vehicle,said tarpaulin means being expansible totop covering position andretractable to top open position, an actuating means associated withsaid tarpaulin and serving to expand and retract said tarpaulin asdesired, said actuating means consisting of a pair of hydraulically andselectively expansible telescopic cylinder means each having a fixed endand a free end, said fixed ends beingmounted to such vehicle, and anoperating connection reversely associating said free ends and serving toretract either by the expan-' sion of the other.

3. In combination with a vehicle body having a so-called open top and atarpaulin means one end of which is anchored to one end of said vehicle,said tarpaulin means being expansible to top covering position andretractable to top open position, an actuating means associated withsaid tarpaulin and serving to expand and extract said tarpaulin asdesired, said actuating means consisting of a pair of hydraulicallyexpansible telescopic cylinder means one end of each being mounted tosaid one end of said vehicle, both of said cylinder means being adaptedto expand toward the other end of said vehicle, a pulley means carriedby said one end of said vehicle, and a cable means secured to the otherend of each of said cylinder means and threaded about said pulley means,and serving to retract either of said cylinder means when the other isexpanded.

4. In combination with a vehicle body having an open top, a tarpaulinadapted to be expanded into top closing position and retracted to topopen position, one end of said tarpaulin being anchored to one end ofsaid top, a plurality of top bows confined to said vehicle, said bowsbeing shiftable laterally in a direction longitudinal of said top andbeing spaced apart when said tarpaulin is expanded and substantiallytogether when it is retracted, an hydraulically expansible telescopicridge-pole means mounted to said one end of said top so as to beexpansible toward the other end, said ridge pole means having telescopicsections connected directly with respective ones of said bows andserving to shift said bows to spaced position in expanding saidtarpaulin, another hydraulically expansible telescopic means associatedwith and operable in opposition to said ridge-pole means and serving totelescope said ridge-pole means in shifting said bows with saidtarpaulin to retracted positions, and a conduit system connecting thetwo telescopic means with a source of fluid under pressure said conduitmeans including valves for selectively applying such fluid.

5. In combination with a vehicle body having a so-called open top, sidesextending to substantially the top of the body, a permanent front endstructure, a tarpaulin having its frone edge anchored to said permanentfront end structure, cross bows having members movable along the top ofsaid sides and means associated therewith to prevent lateral and upwarddisplacement of the cross bows, connections between the cross bows andthe tarpaulin, a collapsible telescopic ridge-pole hydraulicallyextensible longitudinally of such body at the bows and having sectionsmovable with certain ones of said bows to spaced positions, one end ofsaid ridge pole being fixed to said structure, and means connected tothe other end of said ridge-pole by which it is collapsed in moving saidbows and tarpaulin to retracted position.

DONALD E. BRAMBLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,321,913 Hedges Nov. 18, 19192,045,344 Deutsch et al June 23, 1936 2,362,939 Simpson Nov. 14, 19442,406,737 Bramble Sept. 3, 1946

